Believe in Magic
by pennysparkle
Summary: It was a double Transfiguration session with the Gryffindors and Slytherins again, which wouldn't have been so bad if Sanji and Zoro hadn't been paired up for what seemed like the third time in as many months. (Hogwarts AU, eventual ZoSan, begins during fifth year)
1. Bent All Out of Shape

Hello! This is the first in a series of collaborations that myself and the lovely and talented Ivy (cuethe-pulse on LJ) are doing together set in the Harry Potter universe, so expect more!

* * *

**Bent All Out of Shape**

It was a double Transfiguration session with the Gryffindors and Slytherins again, which wouldn't have been so bad if Sanji and Zoro hadn't been paired up for what seemed like the third time in as many months.

Sanji had tried to avoid it, even going so far as to make a fairly compelling argument for why he should have been paired with Nami, or even Lucci, who was at the very least silent in his dislike. Zoro was unpleasant at the best of times, and downright hostile at the worst (though to be entirely fair, Sanji encouraged it). And sitting next to him in class was an exercise in keeping his wand in check; you'd have thought Professor Buggy would have known by now that they were better apart. Somehow that fact didn't stop them from being pulled together time and time again, though.

Professor Buggy turned to face the class, _Evanesco_ scrawled out on the chalkboard behind him. The incantation he proceeded to recite loudly, making a big show of the way his wand moved, to make the stick of chalk in his hand vanish.

"Easy, right?" he asked with a smirk, knowing very well it typically wasn't. "Let's see what you kids have got. Those snails on your desks are—"

"Evanesco!"

The rest of his instructions were lost, along with his big red nose.

Face coloring, he whirled on the far-too-pleased-looking Ace, screeching over the snickering that spread through the room. "I said 'those snails'! Not nose! You flashy punk!"

Zoro, chin in hand in a way that was less disinterest and more displeasure with the Slytherin sharing his desk, turned his eyes toward his partner. "Hey, good news for you. We can finally get rid of those spiral-brows. Not that it'd be a complete fix, but it's a start."

"Or we could vanish you completely. I'm sure the rest of the school would be glad of it," Sanji said boredly. At the front of the room, Professor Buggy was still shrieking at Ace, who refused to look even slightly sorry. It wasn't seeming too likely that they'd be learning anything at all today; apparently Ace had done such a good job of vanishing the professor's nose that Buggy was having little success conjuring it back, and his cursing was beginning to reach pitches that only dogs could hear.

The rest of their classmates were losing order, some of them firing spells about in an attempt to copy Ace and get a few laughs. Sanji had to quickly dodge to the side in his seat to avoid another vanishing spell, bumping hard against Zoro in the process, and then there was a sound like a particularly angry dragon awakening behind them. Sanji turned to see Nami, who was presumably missing her uniform shirt considering how tightly she was clutching her robes around herself.

"Fifty points from whoever did this!" she shouted.

"You can't do that," Luffy whined, guiltily hiding his wand behind his back.

"No, she can't," Tashigi piped in. "But I can. Twenty points from Gryffindor, and you can escort her back to her common room so she can pick up a spare."

Luffy made a grumpy, annoyed sound, but stood and headed for the classroom door, not even bothering to check if Nami was following.

"Nice going, little bro!" Ace called after him, still grinning, amid the other Gryffindors groaning over the deducted points.

Professor Buggy had been watching it all unfold, open-mouthed and completely unable to exert any control over the classroom. Such chaos erupting in this class wasn't unfamiliar; Zoro's only reaction was brushing off his robes where Sanji had bumped into him, but Sanji had to laugh. "Gryffindors. What a bunch of idiots."

Honestly, Zoro was inclined to agree with him, at least where Ace and Luffy were concerned. So he dealt with the insult to his _obviously superior_ house with little more than an annoyed twitch of his mouth. "Sorry, I missed that. I couldn't hear you over how thoroughly we beat you snakes in yesterday's Quidditch match."

Sanji grit his teeth but refused to be ruffled by Zoro's comments. "Really? At least we _snakes_ didn't come out of it with more injuries than the emergency ward at St. Mungo's sees in a year. Perhaps you could gain a sense of self-preservation from your victory instead of an overly-inflated ego. And need I remind you that we've won the cup two years in a row now?"

It was a particularly large point of contention between the two of them - Slytherin's two years of the Quidditch cup versus Gryffindor's two years of the House cup, and one that they seemed to bring up during every fight they'd ever had. Sanji wasn't going to break that record now after so many years of tradition.

"'Injuries' is a stretch," Zoro scoffed, that annoyed twitch quickly becoming a full-fledged scowl. "Your Beaters hit with the strength of flobberworms. And please, remind me all you like because, trust me, that lucky streak will be ending this year!"

"Of course. So that's why I saw Luffy practically carrying you off the pitch," Sanji said, turning to look at the front of the room. Professor Buggy's nose had been returned, though it was currently on the front of his shirt rather than actually on his face. "Anyhow, I'd love to see you say that to Jyabura's face. He'd probably knock you out before you'd even finished your sentence."

"Tch. Let him try," Zoro muttered.

Professor Buggy had finally given in, growling as he threw his hands up in exasperation. "All right, class dismissed! By next class, I expect each pair to vanish these snails without incident! _Each_ of you, or both you and your partner will fail this assignment! Now get your flashy asses out of here!"

Sanji groaned, loading his things back into his bag. Figured that not only did they have to see each other in class, now they'd have to see each other _outside_ of class as well. They just couldn't win for losing.

"Library?" he asked after he'd gotten everything put away, lingering by the desk even as much as he wanted to just get the hell out of there.

"I guess," Zoro said, equally thrilled. He stood and shoved his textbook into his own bag before slinging it over his shoulder. His next class wasn't until after lunch so he lacked any excuse to postpone. Might as well get it over with.

They weren't the only ones headed for the library, luckily, so plenty of distraction was available for them to talk to their own housemates instead of each other. But once in the library, it was time to get down to business, and Sanji grabbed a table far away from the other students. They'd gotten into duels over less than having to study together before, and it was better to be prepared for the eventuality.

He got out his textbook and flipped to the chapter on vanishing spells, and after a second of perusing, he sighed. "Is it too much to hope for that I'll cast it on you and you'll disappear on the first try?"

Zoro's textbook remained in his bag, left untouched on the floor, while he leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed. He was really a very excellent study partner. "It'd be worth it to get out of this assignment."

With a noise of annoyance, Sanji retrieved his wand and swirled it a couple times, ending with a poke toward Zoro. "Evanesco!"

Zoro failed to disappear, and Sanji wilted slightly in his chair. Of course he wasn't the greatest at transfiguration, but even vanishing a single hair off of Zoro's head would have been fine by him. "Alright. You try it."

Zoro opened his eyes, raked them thoughtfully over the other boy. How peaceful his life at Hogwarts would be if he didn't have to see that face every day.

He reached into his robes and his fingers fit first around the white wand he never used before he retrieved his own. He mimicked the proper motions, pointed toward Sanji. "Evanesco."

The Slytherin himself remained, but one of his shirt buttons was gone. Good enough.

Of course, it provoked Sanji into a frenzy of annoyance which showed in the way he stabbed his wand at Zoro. "Evanesco!"

Once again it failed to do anything, and that just made him even more frustrated. How _dare_ Zoro be able to do that on the first try! That was yet another way they kept score with each other, and he _loathed_ falling in the ranks.

So he forced himself to take a deep, calming breath, pushed away the anger and frustration and hate until he felt empty inside. Then he flourished his wand exactly as the book said he should and repeated the incantation once more.

This time he watched as Zoro's tie disappeared, and he smirked. "There. I think that more than makes up for my misfires."

The matching smirk Zoro wore, which had blossomed across his face during Sanji's second failed attempt, was unchanged. He glanced down at the space where his tie had been and shrugged, honestly more pleased than irritated. "Thanks, I hate that thing."

"Bastard," Sanji grumbled. Considering they'd both demonstrated that they could perform the spell, it was probably better to head on their separate ways. But Sanji couldn't help wanting to stay here and bother Zoro some more. "Perhaps I'll conjure it back and make it even tighter, then."

Zoro snorted and leaned back in his chair again, stretching his arms out in front of him until he heard a pop. If Sanji left him alone, maybe he would nap through lunch. "I dunno. Sounds a bit too advanced for you."

"Or I could conjure my foot up your ass. Sounds easy enough." As he spoke, Sanji had snapped his textbook shut and put his bag on the table as if packing up to leave, but at the last second, he lobbed the heavy book at Zoro's face, far beyond the point where magic could be used to convey his annoyance.

Reflexes sharpened by both intense Quidditch practice and years of dealing with the Slytherin's quick temper, Zoro punched the book aside before it could hit him. When he stood from his chair, his scowl was heavy and the anger was building inside of his gut—and why was it so _easy_ for this guy to rile him up?

"Don't go starting something you won't be able to finish, curly," he growled. Though technically, none of their fights were ever actually _finished_ since either a professor or a prefect who couldn't mind their own business always broke them up.

"Oh trust me, mosshead," Sanji said, eyes glinting as he leaned across the table toward Zoro. "I can finish it." And he could, considering Tashigi and Nami weren't anywhere in sight, and the only people in the library right now were their gawking, drama-seeking classmates, who were bound to want this to last for as long as it could.

If he wanted a go, Zoro would gladly oblige him. A hand reached out over the table to grab Sanji's green and silver tie, his free hand balling into a fist. Magic was one thing but there was something much more satisfying in good old-fashioned hand-to-hand combat. Or hand-to-foot, rather, as experience taught him the Slytherin was a kicker.

Before the fun could begin, however, two levitating encyclopedias came shooting at them from behind, smacking them both in the back of their heads.

"Allow me to finish it first." Paula, Hogwarts' librarian, stepped out from behind a shelf, hips swishing and unruly hair held back with a Ravenclaw bandana. "Unless you boys are eager for detention."

For a moment, Sanji nearly slammed the leg he'd lifted up into Zoro's side anyway, but he sighed and dropped it back to the floor, tugging his tie out of Zoro's grip.

"Get off, asshole. Don't you know any manners? There's a _lady_ present," he said, turning a simpering smile on Paula, who simply glared at him before walking away. His eyes stayed on her hips until she'd disappeared around a bookcase, and then he turned his own glare upon Zoro. "You wait until I catch you alone, shithead."

Sanji's threat had Zoro rolling his eyes, and he reluctantly let the tie slip free of his hold, bending to grab his bag and wand; he'd changed his mind about lunch. Arguing had given him a bit of an appetite. "Yeah, I'm terrified." He wouldn't be holding his breath for a fight though; neither of them sought the other out unless it was absolutely necessary.

Before leaving, he spared a moment for a backward glance and one more "_evanesco_" with his wand aiming for a second shirt button.

Sanji let out an annoyed half-shout and was almost tempted to follow after the bastard, but he decided against it after a moment. It wasn't worth it; he wasn't going to waste his breath on Zoro.

Besides, one way or another the score was going to be settled. And knowing that they were completely incapable of staying away from each other, it was going to be sooner rather than later.

* * *

Zoro's Care of Magical Creatures class was held in the Forbidden Forest that day. Professor Hatchan led them through the thick trees that stretched impossibly high, dripping lake water as he went. Due to his ability to move about on land and the effort he'd taken to learn five languages (and counting), the professor was the first merperson to join the faculty at Hogwarts. Not that such an honor gave him a big head or inflated ego; in fact, he was probably the humblest being living on the school grounds. Zoro respected him. But hated his class. He wasn't an animal person, and he had enough dealing with annoying creatures just by being around certain peers of his.

Even in this early afternoon, the forest surrounding them was balefully dark. Professor Hatchan hummed an unidentifiable tune, though it did very little to relieve the students' fear; Zoro could hear someone's knees knocking.

"Oh, here we are," he finally announced once they reached a small clearing. "And there you are!" A suction cup-covered arm gestured grandly and the group's eyes followed to see…

"Professor," Tashigi spoke cautiously, but certain, "there's nothing there."

"There's not?" For a second, he seemed alarmed until he turned his head to look. "Oh, whew. Of course there is," he corrected her cheerfully. "Tell me, has anyone ever wondered what pulls the carriages to the castle when you come to school?"

"Uh," another student offered. "Magic?"

"Thestrals. These creatures here. Picture a fleshless horse with the wings of a giant bat." His words provoked a few disgusted faces. "Well, I—I know how that sounds, but trust me, they're really very magnificent! They're only visible to those who have seen death, so can no one—? Well, I guess, considering, it's not really a disappointment, but—" He checked each student, each one shaking their head. "No? No one? How about you? Zoro?"

Zoro needed a moment before he could speak, a moment that felt as if it lasted for hours. He stared at the skeletal bodies of the thestral herd, the glossy skin he could see through. They were feeding on pieces of meat and one lifted its head and met Zoro's gaze with white eyes.

He felt cold, chilled with remembering. Kuina's dark hair falling in front of her panicked expression, the way he could see the stain of her blood on the floor for weeks after it was gone. Her wand, given to him, and how _final_ that felt, knowing she would never need it back.

"Zoro?"

"No," he said. His voice came out convincing, but he still wondered. At times, Professor Hatchan could be easily fooled, but he was much more intelligent than many of the students believed. "I can't see them."

* * *

Zoro couldn't say for sure how long he'd been sitting on the shore of the Black Lake. The sun was setting and the water was darkening and he could remember sailing across it on that first evening of his first year, wide-eyed and awed. And he could remember the smile on Kuina's face when he was sorted into Gryffindor, and the warmth of her arm when she draped it over his shoulders.

His eyes closed against the night breeze that carried over the lake. He could remember the happiest moments, but they never stayed with him. Not the way her death did.

If Zoro hadn't been so distracted at that moment, he could have seen trouble coming, and probably would have been able to avoid it, because Sanji was making his way down the path toward the lake. Curiosity having gotten the better of him, he stepped toward Zoro, light on his feet, rather than going for his own destination. The slumped, defeated posture was enough to tell him that Zoro wasn't exactly in a good mood, but somehow he couldn't resist.

Company was the last thing Zoro wanted. A quietly optimistic voice suggested that it could be Luffy, who seemed to have a sixth sense for knowing when spirits needed lifting. But as the footfalls got closer he could tell they were too graceful and not loud enough, though they weren't unfamiliar.

And then Sanji sat down beside Zoro, saying not a word.

Of course. _Of course_ it was him. Zoro couldn't begin to fathom why Sanji was sitting next to him, why he wasn't saying anything, why he thought he could join him like they didn't hate each other. But it made sense. They were always being thrown together by forces out of their control. Forced to cooperate, to test how long they could share the same space before blows were exchanged. Why shouldn't Sanji be the one to see him like this, see him still devastated over a single moment from nearly three years ago?

Zoro kept his eyes closed, knowing they were glazed over with ghosts, and let out a dry, aggravated chuckle. "Just my luck."

"Hush," Sanji said, pulling up a couple blades of grass between his knees. The lawn was dry and rough this time of year, and a sharp edge left a tiny cut on his ring finger. He sighed and dropped the handful he had. "Even I'm not so cruel as to heap misery on misery, so don't force me to."

"Right," Zoro snorted unkindly. "Then why are you here?" Wasn't his very presence misery?

Why _was_ Sanji here? He didn't actually know himself, because any other day he'd have attacked Zoro right from the beginning. But it just didn't feel right, deliberately making a situation worse, even considering he didn't know what was going on to make Zoro look so world-weary. "Can't I decide to come sit by the lake where you just so happen to be as well?"

"Only if you're planning to kick me in." Fleetingly, Zoro thought he could try to be nicer, but he really wasn't in the mood. And as much as he perhaps wanted a friend to confide in, Sanji _wasn't_ a friend, and he didn't trust this. Didn't trust _him_.

"I don't mind kicking you in, if that's what you'd like," said Sanji.

At this point, Zoro was starting to think that might be preferable. He opened his eyes, still haunted but thankfully dry, to glower properly at the boy beside him. "It'd be better than you sitting here like you give a damn how I'm feeling."

That simple implication set Sanji alight immediately. "Who says I give a damn about how you feel?" he growled. He felt suddenly foolish for even _trying_ to be civil, just like he always did when he tried to be half-decent to Zoro and got it thrown right back in his face. _This_ was why they would never get along, why they'd continue to antagonize each other until the day they left this school and hopefully never saw each other again - because they just couldn't leave each other well enough alone.

"I _know_ you don't," Zoro snapped back, teeth bared. His body was tense, legs prepared to stand, his hands wand-ready. "And believe me, I'm glad for that."

"Bet you're not winning too many people to care about you with an attitude like that." Sanji glanced out of the corner of his eye at Zoro, and his own hand went to the wand inside his cloak. Better to be prepared for what they both already knew was going to happen.

But any comeback Zoro would've had died on his tongue as another memory assaulted his heavy heart-weakened mind. His first Hogwarts breakfast, robes on backwards and hair still sleep-tousled; Kuina tugging at his groggy face in an attempt to force him into smiling, teasing, "You're not gonna make any friends with an expression like that!"

The anger slipped out of him and the tightness inside of him loosened. His eyes sliding closed once more, he let himself fall onto his back on the coarse grass. "No. Probably not."

Confused, Sanji could only turn his head to the side and stare at Zoro. He'd thought that comment would have inflamed him further, but it was clear that it had only taken the wind out of his sails. It wasn't like what he'd said was that bad, was it? Just some lame comeback, right?

There was nothing for him to do but stay silent, completely out of his element. Zoro _never_ relented against him like that, and it felt like new and foreign territory. He didn't like it a bit.

In the meantime, Zoro had cooled and slowly started to come back to himself, giving up on the comforting darkness he found behind closed eyelids. He looked first at the reddening sky above him and then at the Slytherin, his bizarre company who, for whatever reason, hadn't left.

His buttons were still missing.

Zoro squinted and stared at his shirt just to be sure, and they were definitely gone. His nostrils flared in amusement and laughter bubbled up in his chest and throat and it was so surprising he couldn't stop it from escaping. And he didn't know why it was so funny, the thought of Sanji walking around like that all afternoon, but it _was_, and he was laughing like he'd just discovered how, wearing the first smile he'd had since lunch with Ace and Luffy.

"Wh... What the hell are you laughing at, bastard?" Sanji asked, glancing down at himself. When he realized that his shirt was gaping slightly, he lifted a hand to hold the two halves together, a hint of a flush creeping across his cheeks. Somehow he'd been so annoyed with Zoro earlier that he'd completely forgotten about the missing buttons, and it hadn't struck his attention at all over the rest of his day. Someone could have _told_ him, but apparently it'd been funny for everybody. Everybody but him - this was just embarrassing.

Still, he almost didn't mind that Zoro was laughing at him. Anything to get that haunted look off his face. It was unsettling in more than one way; mostly he really didn't want to think about the idiot having actual _feelings_.

Zoro managed to reign in his mirth, though a grin still stuck to his face. "I didn't realize you liked my improvements so much."

"It's not like I kept it this way on purpose," said Sanji indignantly, glaring down once again at the place where the buttons should be, as if it would make them magically reappear.

Luckily for Sanji, not only was magic obviously an option, but Zoro was feeling rather generous after having his mood lightened, however absurdly it might've happened. Suppressing a few more chuckles, he sat up and retrieved the wand he'd known he would use sooner or later—although he hadn't predicted it'd be like this.

"Hold still." A fluid swish and then he had to lean in, just a little, to tap the tip of his wand against the material of the terribly abused shirt. "Reparo." Two new buttons sprouted in their proper places, and the shirt was perfectly closed again, and not nearly as hilarious.

"... Thanks," Sanji muttered, and dropped his hand away. He was reeling, so far out of the realm of normality that he had to wonder if Zoro had been given some kind of potion that made him incredibly docile. "Er... are you alright?"

"Yeah." Incredibly, Zoro was. And he would forget this moment eventually; it'd be nothing but a speck in the farthest corner of his brain that would probably never cross the path of his thoughts.

But for now, he was grateful, and the storm clouds in his head were cleared enough for him to get to his feet. It was dinnertime and the Portgas brothers would be looking for him.

Before he could talk himself out of it, moving on temporary appreciation alone, he clapped Sanji on the shoulder in thanks as he headed for the castle. "See you."

"Yeah, see you," Sanji said, though Zoro was already gone. He still wasn't sure what in the hell that had been about, and he didn't really want to think about it either.

But he was confident Zoro was going to be completely normal next time they saw each other. He _had_ to be. There was no way Sanji could deal with this brand of strangeness more than once.


	2. Calm You Down

Just a little b-side Sanji-centric ficlet I wanted to write, which takes place right after the events of 'Bent All Out of Shape.' Also, Ivy posted her own Zoro-centric ficlet on LJ (cuethe-pulse . livejournal . com). You should definitely head over and give it a read!

By the way, for tidiness' sake, I'm gonna throw all the Hogwarts AU stuff under this entry, though I'll always make sure to denote if it's actually a main piece (as in a collab between Ivy and I) or something I wrote on my own.

Thanks for all the favs/follows/reviews, by the way! We're really pleased that people seem to be as into this as we are.

* * *

**Calm You Down**

It was a kindness. A kindness that Zoro probably didn't want, and definitely didn't deserve. But for some reason, this had been Sanji's first reaction: to watch Zoro leave the side of the lake and head back to the castle; to ignore the hungry grumbling in his own stomach; to think about what he could do to make Zoro return to _normal_.

He'd entertained various ideas involving hexes, practical jokes, and sabotage, but they weren't nearly as appealing to him as they would have been if Zoro hadn't looked so disturbed earlier. For all that he hated Zoro, he wasn't cruel, and he wasn't going to make Zoro's day even worse just so that _he _could have peace of mind.

_Peace of mind_. His thoughts finally alighted upon a certain idea that combined his talent for potions with his need to see Zoro returned to normal. He had jumped up and hurried back to the castle as fast as he could, heading straight down into the potions dungeon, and once there, he'd lit a fire underneath a cauldron and headed off in search of ingredients.

While he'd gone through the motions of brewing the Draught of Peace, he had refused to think about what he was doing. Refused to think about the place inside of himself that had been shaken by the very idea of Zoro having any kind of emotions underneath that stoic façade.

Half an hour after he'd started, there was lavender-scented silver vapor coming off the surface of the draught. He'd held his breath as he ladled the potion into a vial, then corked it. And that vial went into his pocket, and after he'd finished cleaning up, he marched toward the steps up into the Entrance Hall. Only he'd paused and finally considered what he was doing, then scurried back to the Slytherin common room.

Now he sat warily eying the vial sitting at his bedside. It had been the sole object of his attention for nearly fifteen minutes, and he'd been debating between getting up and going to the Great Hall to slip it into Zoro's drink, or just tucking it into the never-ending supply of spare potions in the Hospital Wing for someone who'd actually appreciate it.

It was just that he'd gone to all the _trouble_, and for whom? Somebody he'd thought he hated. Somebody that he definitely didn't get along with, even at the best of times. He'd technically broken the rules, or at least entirely misused his privileges for that idiot, and it would seem like a waste if Sanji didn't give it to him.

Sick of thinking and re-thinking it, he picked the vial up off his bedside table and told himself it wasn't a big deal. It was just because he couldn't let anything go - that was just who Sanji was.

He wished that he could, though. Just forget about that blip in Zoro's stoic exterior. But he couldn't. He'd seen something else in Zoro, and now it was the _only _thing he could see.

There was a mantra that he repeated to himself as he ascended the stairs into the Entrance Hall: _It's not because he deserves it. It's not because I care about him. It's definitely not because I want to be _friends _with him. _And for the most part, he could believe himself.

There weren't very many people remaining in the Great Hall when he got there, and he was beginning to think that he was too late, that Zoro had already gone up to Gryffindor Tower, so he almost turned back. But then he spotted that distinct green hair, practically alone at the Gryffindor table. And best of all, he appeared to be asleep, head balanced in one propped-up palm. In prime position for Sanji to do this, in short.

Across the Hall he hurried, feeling the vial bump against his leg through his robes. But when he came to a stop behind Zoro, he had no idea what to do. Zoro couldn't drink or eat things in his sleep, and Sanji couldn't _make _him drink it... Except that he _could_.

For a moment, he poked and prodded at Zoro, then slapped one cheek, and finally, kneed him in the back. And Zoro just kept on snoring, so Sanji felt safe to go ahead and tilt his sleep-slackened face toward the ceiling.

Sanji sent up a wish that Zoro would remain asleep, pinched his nose until his mouth fell open in another snore, and dumped the contents of the bottle down his throat. He rubbed his fingers over Zoro's adam's apple until he swallowed, then dropped the emptied vial back into his pocket. Zoro grunted and smacked his lips, and Sanji froze in place, holding his breath as his insides fluttered into a panic. But then Zoro settled and let out another snore, head falling to the side to rest on his own shoulder, and Sanji tore out of the Hall as fast as he could, not stopping for anyone or anything.

It wasn't until he was back in his own bed that he finally let himself breathe, and a smile curled his lips. Because maybe he'd just been imagining it, but he was sure that in the split second between Zoro swallowing and himself running away, he'd seen the tension between his eyebrows ease just slightly. And Sanji felt that, despite dubious methods, he'd done the right thing.


	3. Baby It's Cold Outside

More of the main storyline written with Ivy (cuethe-pulse on LJ)! This one's a fair bit longer than the first part, so settle in. Also, mild warning for underage drinking.

* * *

**Baby It's Cold Outside (Let's Fight Inside Instead)**

It was the first day of Christmas holidays and Zoro was up far too early, sitting in the Great Hall in a Weird Sisters t-shirt and the tropical fruit-print pajama pants Luffy had given him this time last year. Sluggishly picking at a plate of scrambled eggs, he tolerated the Portgas brothers' one-armed hugs (as they each needed a free hand to grab food off the table and stuff it into their pockets and bags).

"Sure you'd rather stay here?" Ace asked. "There's still time if you want us to sneak you out."

Zoro shook his head with a dismissive yawn. "Get going. Don't forget to write."

"I won't!" Luffy vowed through a mouth full of sausages.

"He's kidding, Luffy."

"Zoro doesn't kid about friendship!"

Their chatter continued on, but Zoro tuned it out, and when they'd gone he promptly pushed his plate aside to rest his head on the table. If left alone, he'd be snoozing again in no time.

But there was a loud thump to the left of him as Sanji sat down, right on the tail end of the brothers' departure. Not that Sanji _wanted _to be sitting next to Zoro; it was only a side-effect of how few people were staying over break this year, so few that they'd pushed all but a single house table to the side of the Hall. It was probable that neither of them were going to be able to function in such close proximity for the next two weeks, especially not with how grumpy Sanji already was this morning, both from having to say goodbye to Robin earlier, and from the fact that the only open seat at the table was next to Zoro.

"Stop sleeping and pass me the toast," he said after a moment of heaping scrambled eggs and sausages onto his plate, kicking Zoro in the ankle to punctuate his demand.

Zoro's eyes snapped open at the kick, much more startling than painful, immediately seeking out the source. After taking a second to debate over whether Sanji was actually there or if this was a nightmare, he ultimately decided that, either way, it wasn't worth lifting his head.

"Get it yourself," he said as his mind blearily drifted toward winters past. He'd caved and spent the previous Christmas with Luffy and Ace, and, admittedly, in the years before that he hadn't left Gryffindor Tower much. But if he remembered correctly, Sanji always stayed behind during the holidays. "Don't you ever go home?" And it wasn't curiosity asking, just irritation.

"'Course I do," Sanji said, as he leaned over Zoro to snatch a couple pieces of toast from one of the platters.

Truthfully, he was bending Zoro's meaning a little. He _had_ gone home for Christmas once, in his first year, but that was it. Any other time he went home, it was for summer holidays. And it wasn't like he had such a bad home life; his uncle Zeff was overwhelmingly good to him, but they had the same stubbornness in them, which meant Zeff wouldn't ask him to come home for the holidays, and Sanji wouldn't offer to. Most years, that was fine with him, since Robin stayed too, but he had to admit this one was looking a little lonely without her. Still, there was nothing for it.

"What about you? Fight with the family this year?" he asked.

"No," was Zoro's only response. He himself was grateful to his Muggle foster parents, but he'd only been living with them for a year and a half before his Hogwarts letter had arrived. He'd never opened up to them as completely as he perhaps could've, and by now the distance between them was comfortable and understood on both ends. He felt no pull to spend the holidays with them and besides, going home meant seeing Koshiro. And seeing Koshiro meant remembering.

Sanji hummed softly as he began to eat. "Well, I'm sure you'll still have a great time sleeping through Christmas then," he said after swallowing his mouthful of eggs.

"I intend to," Zoro mumbled into the table. His groggy mind slowly began to make the connection between Christmas and the gifts he still needed to buy; and Sanji's presence, while annoying, was suddenly potentially useful. "I need to go to Hogsmeade later," he said. Everything else was left purposefully unspoken, as he knew very well that Sanji was aware of his tendency to get lost on occasion.

"You're asking me to drop everything I might need to do today so I can be your guide dog, essentially," Sanji said, wiping a few crumbs from his mouth. To be fair, he didn't really have anything to do today, having already bought his own gifts for everyone, but still, it wasn't like he was going to give Zoro an _easy_ time of it. "What do I get out of it?"

Zoro bit back a remark about just where this guide dog could kindly go and guide himself; he needed to play civil, at least until he got Sanji to agree. The last time he'd gone into Hogsmeade alone, Professor Mihawk had found him having a staring contest with a dead end in an alley, and he hadn't been able to look the man in the eye for a few days.

He sat up, thinking the question over. Really, there wasn't anything the Slytherin could get out of it. And as much as Zoro didn't want to be indebted to him for any reason, he had nothing else to offer. "I'll owe you."

"What makes you think you'll ever have anything I want?" Sanji asked dismissively, and he was fully prepared to leave it at that, but... Zoro was _company_, even if it was _bad_ company, and Sanji truly was beginning to feel the absence of his few friends. "I suppose I'll just have to take you around out of the goodness of my heart."

If that was all they had to go on... "It'll be a very short trip," he muttered under his breath. For the next question, he raised his voice. "After lunch?" Though it wasn't _really _much of a question, as he stood to leave rather than waiting for an answer. He had important sleeping that needed his immediate attention.

"How about you plan your trip around me since I'm the one helping you out?" Sanji called after him. But it was useless, as Zoro was already gone. He shook his head, annoyed, and drained the last of his orange juice, no longer hungry.

Still, he sat there for a little while longer so as to make sure he wouldn't have to encounter Zoro in the entrance hall on his way out, and got up only when ten minutes had passed and he could no longer tolerate the group of annoyingly loud Hufflepuffs who remained at the table with him. Somehow he didn't expect to have a very pleasant remainder of the morning.

* * *

Zoro waited outside the Great Hall doors, fiddling with his wand in a way he refused to admit was anxious and was instead simply _idle_. He'd skipped eating lunch, too unsettled.

When he'd gotten back to his dorm, he'd fallen into slumber easily, snores still loud even while muffled by his pillow. But upon waking with a clearer, rested head, he'd instantly regretted what he'd done. Couldn't he have found _anyone_ else? He hadn't even _looked_, had just gone with the easiest option without realizing that it meant having to spend an afternoon actively trying not to piss Sanji off because he... _needed_ him.

"Ugh." With a quiet, disgusted groan, he took out his frustrations by aiming a tickling charm at a small, pink-haired first year who'd had the misfortune to be passing by (and who, subsequently, was too busy doubling over in laughter and searching for the glasses that had fallen off his face to spot his attacker).

"How childish," said a voice from behind Zoro. Sanji had stepped out of the Great Hall and now stood beside him, though he was careful to leave at least two feet of space between them. "Torturing first years? Not very Gryffindor of you. Fairly amusing for me though."

For a few moments, he watched the first year continue to flail around, laughing and searching for his glasses, but he tired of it just as quickly, and levitated the kid's glasses out of the way just before he nearly stepped on them. At the same time, he reached over to snatch Zoro's wand away from him.

But Zoro jerked it out of Sanji's reach just in time, and he called off the charm with a flick, annoyed to find himself in agreement. "Too many classes with Slytherins," he said. "Bad influences."

"Hm. Perhaps you've been hanging around the wrong kind of Slytherins, then." Sanji watched as the first year's eyes alighted upon them, but instead of getting angry, he simply turned away meekly, and Sanji had to work quickly to levitate the glasses back onto the kid's face before he got away.

"There's a right kind?" Zoro asked. Doubtful.

Sanji crossed his arms over his chest, posture suddenly even more defensive. "There's a right kind in every house. Ready to go?"

Zoro hesitated as he slipped his wand inside his winter coat. This was such a terrible idea. He told himself to say that he'd changed his mind or that he'd asked someone else instead, told himself to say anything but- "Yeah."

He wasn't going to back down from his poor decision. He just hoped his friends realized how much he liked them.

As they made their way out of the castle, Sanji's barely-contained annoyance finally seemed to boil over. "Anyhow, you might know how varied we are if you ever tried to take a closer look. But no, of course we're all the same. I don't expect a _Gryffindor_ to realize that good doesn't only exist in their house."

He knew he was being almost unreasonably angry and defensive, but he was sick of this overarching attitude where everyone seemed to look down on his house when they were just as good, just as deserving of a good reputation.

If Sanji had been in a proper frame of mind, he'd have realized that he'd already started their trip in a bad way, but instead he found himself wishing that he hadn't consented to this so easily. The ridiculous _pity_ he felt toward Zoro since that day by the side of the lake wasn't doing anything but making him confused and sympathetic toward someone he hated (and with good reason, he knew), and that wasn't right. He didn't have time for it.

"Fair enough," Zoro said after a moment or so, and it wasn't too difficult a concession. _Play civil_, said the voice in the back of his head, though it sounded strained at the idea. _Play civil. Play civil._ "Not all Slytherins are you."

That probably didn't count as civil, did it?

Sanji opened his mouth to continue yelling at Zoro, but then he had an idea. They'd finally moved on from summoning and banishing charms in class, and had started working on silencing charms just before break. He supposed he could get a little practice in on that, so he jabbed his wand at Zoro and muttered, "Silencio."

A protest, too late and already useless, was cut off before it even went past Zoro's lips, which were soon scowling. The only thing more irritating than the fact that the charm worked was that he hadn't thought of it first.

He settled for flipping Sanji off. And when this was all over, he'd be sure to shove him into the snow.

Sanji, who was quite pleased with himself, surged ahead down the path toward Hogsmeade. This trip had suddenly become much more tolerable, and while he was a little dubious about the morals of taking away Zoro's voice, he had to admit it was much better for his own temper.

As they went around a bend, Hogsmeade came suddenly into view. It sat beneath a thick blanket of perfectly white snow, looking like one of those tiny, charming villages from the Christmas cards. Candles and wreaths, the chime of enchanted handbells playing carols outside Maestro's Music Shop, the wafting smells of gingerbread and spiced pumpkin, the chatter of other people doing last-minute shopping - it all eased most of Zoro's tension. As they passed the gates into the village, he reached over to tug purposefully at Sanji's cloak, trying to convey that he needed to visit Gladrags.

Sanji startled at the touch, and that alone was enough to force him into rather reluctantly (the silence was just so _nice_, after all) giving Zoro's voice back to him. "Let this be a lesson that you should be more careful what your tongue gets up to for the rest of the day," he said as he tucked his wand back into his cloak.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind, Professor Dartboard," Zoro muttered. And while he appreciated having his voice returned, it was much harder to ask for the help he needed aloud. Frowning faintly, he stepped onto a patch of bare cobblestone and chose a direction at random. "Wizardwear's this way, right?"

"Yes, mosshead. You're fine for now, but don't make any turns," said Sanji. He twitched his cloak a little closer around himself, shivering so hard his shoulders practically touched his ears.

It didn't go unnoticed. Had Sanji been almost anyone else, Zoro would've taken off his scarf and thrown it at him. But Sanji wasn't his friend, and Sanji's coldness wasn't his problem. Not unless he started turning blue, anyway.

Besides, they walked into Gladrags just a moment later, and the shop was as warm and toasty as the self-heating coats they were currently advertising. They trailed along the rows, Zoro passing off his wandering as simply browsing. Socks were his destination though, and he knew he was on the right path when they passed a display of Hogwarts house slippers. Smirking, he watched Gryffindor lion slippers baring their teeth at hissing Slytherin serpent slippers. "The accuracy's uncanny."

Sanji spared the briefest of glances at what Zoro was doing, pausing to paw through a bin of fuzzy socks the exact color of Zoro's hair. He smiled as he pulled a pair out, amused to find that they had a similar texture to the moss balls that inhabited the Black Lake, and pointedly not giving it any thought, he reached up and rubbed his fingertips through Zoro's hair. "They're the same," he said, offering out the pair of socks to Zoro.

"Tch." Zoro jerked away from the touch, more unnerved by the brush of Sanji's fingers than bothered by the actual comparison. Despite Luffy and Ace's lack of understanding regarding personal boundaries, he wasn't accustomed to being touched so casually. Certainly not by _Sanji_.

He turned his back to locate the discount bin, which he began to rummage through a moment later. His original objective had simply been to pick something for his and Usopp's annual tradition of exchanging outlandish socks (last year, for instance, Usopp had given him a pair that played Marco Polo whenever one was lost), but now he was distracted.

His search for something spirally and prissy was unsuccessful, though he did manage to find a rather disgusting moth-eaten pair, actual moth larvae included, which he tossed at the Slytherin's face.

The compound of Sanji's pre-existing annoyance with Zoro and having a bug-ridden pair of socks thrown at him was _definitely_ the reason he let out a pitchy sound of what he told himself was pure rage. It _certainly_ wasn't a scream of horror resulting from the socks, which landed right in his face and suddenly dropped several of the larvae down on his cloak before falling to the floor. He barely managed to keep his footing as he stumbled back, frantically brushing at the horrible things with one hand while raising his wand with the other and spitting out a tickling charm at Zoro.

But Zoro hardly needed to be tickled to find an unreasonable amount of amusement in the moment. With a growing grin, he ducked behind the bin to dodge Sanji's attack, and the charm hit a pale pink nightgown, which quivered on the rack with hysterical mirth, startling nearby customers.

He'd obviously forgotten his promise of civility, but he was too pleased with himself to care. Grabbing a pair of socks for Usopp at random (which would turn out to sing opera arias in obnoxious, warbling voices whenever they got wet), he slipped away to the accessories section.

Once Sanji had checked himself over to ensure that he was completely free of larvae, he followed. He had reached such a height of anger that magic was no longer the answer. Magic could miss, or backfire; his legs wouldn't do either of those things.

And when he rounded a rack of cufflinks singing Christmas carols, eyes locked onto Zoro's back as his pace quickened, he proved that point beyond a shadow of a doubt. Because the second he was close enough, his right leg arced through the air and landed firmly in the small of Zoro's back. And he didn't stop there, forcing Zoro face-first into the wall with his foot. "You're really ungrateful."

Why Zoro hadn't been expecting further retaliation was a mystery. His guard had been down as he went back to his shopping, picking out hair ties for Vivi that would stretch forever without snapping. They had fallen from his hand as he slammed into the wall, the force of Sanji's kick leaving a crack in it where his forehead had hit.

He took a moment to pull back even after Sanji's foot had dropped. There was the taste of blood on his lip, but the resentment that boiled in him had little to do with pain. Attacking from behind was a coward's move. And while Zoro had never _trusted_ the Slytherin, he'd thought him better than that.

But then, he'd never thought of himself as ungrateful, yet he couldn't deny the truth in Sanji's words. Rankled at both Sanji's behavior and his own, he turned. "You bring out the worst in me," he said, because they weren't meant to share space together, not willingly. That afternoon by the lake had been a fluke, and this trip had already proved that. "And you didn't have to come with me. Don't know why you did."

Frustrated, Sanji reached out and tugged Zoro closer with a fist in his cloak. "Because you're an idiot and you'd probably manage to wander into the Forbidden Forest without me. And I don't want that on my conscience."

After all, Gryffindors could go on and on about their sense of honor or whatever it was that they apparently had, but that didn't mean shit to a Slytherin. And Sanji certainly didn't owe anything to anyone - unless he decided he did, and he'd _never, ever_ feel that way toward Zoro. All Sanji could ever feel around him was a constant, low-thrumming anger that escalated too quickly for him to control. Anything he felt aside from that was temporary insanity.

Still, that didn't mean he actually wanted Zoro to go out and get himself killed. The truth was that ever since that day by the lake, he'd been questioning everything he knew about Zoro, but at this point, he was almost entirely sure that he'd been wrong in thinking there was a soft part of him. There was nothing vulnerable about the person in front of him. And he had to remind himself of that, because every time he tried to do something that _wasn't_ antagonistic for Zoro, it always backfired, without fail. They were just naturally repelled from each other, and that was all there was to it.

He took a deep breath and let it out, glancing to the side as his hand dropped from Zoro's cloak. "And anyhow, if I'd changed my mind, you'd have been even more angry with me."

Zoro calmed when Sanji released him. They were already attracting some attention-thankfully just fellow students who'd witnessed plenty of their spats before-but if they kept at it, they'd likely be thrown out. Besides, he didn't _want_ to fight. He didn't want this trip to last any longer than it needed to.

"Believe me, I wouldn't have been angry." If Sanji _had_ changed his mind, he would've done what he _should've_ done in the first place and found someone else. _Anyone_ else. "It's my own fault, anyway," he admitted through an aggravated sigh, kneeling to gather the fallen hair ties. And it was, really. For bringing it up in the first place. "Set us up for disaster."

"Whatever," Sanji said, feeling drained of his previous anger. Now he just wanted to be far away from Zoro. "I can't deal with you anymore. I'm leaving before you cause more trouble."

Gritting his teeth, Zoro said nothing. He didn't care if Sanji left, didn't want him to stay. He'd really screwed himself here, but he'd rather wander in the snow than have a repeat of this scene in every store.

"Send up sparks if you get in trouble, I guess I'll come get you," Sanji said. He turned around, pulling his cloak closer around himself again, and headed out the door. Perhaps he'd stop by the Three Broomsticks... though more likely, he'd find himself in Honeydukes, spending all of his money on candied ginger and those little butterscotch squares he ate almost obsessively.

With Sanji gone, Zoro allowed himself a more leisurely pace to finish choosing gifts. He got turned around a total of ten times after leaving Gladrags, more than half of those times occurring between Tomes & Scrolls and Scrivenshaft's alone. But he had no intentions of shooting up any sparks. He couldn't completely convince himself that Sanji would seriously wait around him.

The day had gone so irrevocably wrong so fast. He'd overestimated himself, his ability to keep control and keep from pushing too many of the other boy's buttons. He didn't know what it was about Sanji that made such a thing so impossible, would probably never know, but he would do well to remember from now on.

It was nearly suppertime when he reached Honeydukes, his final destination. Most of his money went there, buying a great bunch of cauldron cakes, jelly slugs, and several boxes of Bertie Bott's Beans for the Portgas brothers' bottomless stomachs. His own stomach grumbled as he left, a reminder that he'd missed lunch.

"One more stop, then," he decided, making his way toward the Three Broomsticks.

* * *

The Three Broomsticks must've moved. Either that or Zoro had gone the wrong way again. Which was by far the likelier of the two options and he knew that very well, but chose to believe the former. In any case, the Hog's Head was a fine substitute. It wasn't favored by most Hogwarts students, but Zoro had never been one to pass up an opportunity to partake in a little imbibing.

Laden with boxes and bags, he sought out a table, but his eyes instead found Sanji, who was surrounded by several of his own bags and was holding a tall glass of firewhiskey. Surprise stilled Zoro for a moment, but even more surprising was how he walked over to Sanji instead of going to the bar and ignoring him. "You actually stayed."

Dazedly, Sanji squinted up at the figure standing over him. It took more than a few seconds and a lot of head-tilting for him to figure out that it was Zoro, and even longer for him to realize that he'd spoken. "Of course I did... I told you I would," he said slowly.

Zoro wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. Luckily, there was something to distract him from potentially feeling a tiny bit bad for doubting his word. "...Are you _drunk_?"

"No, I'm not _drunk_. Maybe _you're_ drunk." Sanji laughed at his own joke, causing his posture to shake just enough that firewhiskey suddenly sloshed down the front of his cloak. "Oops." He brushed at the liquid absently, not seeming to realize that his wand was laying close by, just waiting to be used for cleanups such as the one he dearly needed now.

"You should go back to the castle, I mean, you're really drunk," he continued, staring amusedly up at Zoro as he continued to make a mess of his cloak.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Zoro sighed and sat down, dropping his purchases to the floor. They'd never get back at this rate. "I hadn't pegged you for such a sloppy drunk."

"I'm _not_ drunk," Sanji protested. He dropped his sticky hand back to the glass of firewhiskey and took another sip, luckily managing to not spill more on himself. "I'll get us back, it'll all be fine."

"Sure." Zoro propped his chin in his hand and frowned over at the bar. He would have to pass this time, since it seemed like Sanji had done enough indulging for the both of them. "How much have you had?"

"Not enough to deal with you," Sanji muttered sullenly. His glass was now empty, and he frowned down at it. That wasn't right, surely. He'd have to get another to make up for this tragedy.

Obviously Sanji hadn't had enough to be pleasant, either. Not that Zoro particularly blamed him; he was hardly friendly company himself. He didn't feel _bad_ about it, really; he was simply willing to acknowledge that he didn't make things easier between them. But hell, why should he? And if Sanji wanted to get wasted, he wasn't going to stop him. As long as Zoro didn't have to carry him back to the castle.

"Get me another drink," Sanji said, holding out his glass for Zoro to take.

"Why, your legs broken?" He did it anyway, less to be obliging and more to grab a handful of bar nuts and sneak a sip before returning to the table, placing the glass in front of Sanji. "Here, boozy."

"I'm not boozy," Sanji muttered lamely as he picked up the glass and took a long gulp of firewhiskey. It burned satisfyingly all the way down to the pit of his stomach, and warmed him even further. "I'm drinking my sorrows away."

"What kind of sorrows could you have?" Zoro wondered, though he refused to be genuinely curious; not only did he doubt the Slytherin's problems went beyond anything superficial, he didn't _care_ if they did. "Aside from the obvious, but no amount of drinking will get rid of that face."

Sanji scowled at Zoro and narrowed his eyes. "None of your business."

And even though that was true, the urge to just blurt it out itched at his throat, and even another gulp of firewhiskey wasn't enough to take that away, so he finally just gave in and said it. "This is the fourth year in a row I haven't been home for Christmas. My uncle's never asked me to, not once. Nor have any of my friends. It's silly, but... I guess I feel lonely. I mean, what's the point? In making friends, that is. What's the point if they don't even think of you?"

Zoro didn't look at him when he spoke. He looked at a stain on the closest wall, a dark stain with no shape, because he couldn't feel sorry for a stain, not even a little bit. Because who _cared_ if a stain was alone on Christmas? Not him.

And he didn't _need_ to care. Because it _wasn't_ his business. And he couldn't do anything about it, anyway. Couldn't help the situation even if he wanted to. He wasn't Sanji's friend. Though he certainly ended up thinking of him often enough. Just not by choice.

"That's rough," he offered finally, an unhelpful murmur. He didn't want to sympathize, but he didn't want to be unnecessarily cruel, either, not if the other boy was actually broken up about it. Not after Sanji agreed to guide him, no matter how horribly that'd gone. And not after that afternoon by the lake.

"You don't have to pretend to care," Sanji said, and he found that he wasn't upset about the idea of Zoro not caring at all. "It's actually kind of nice to say it to someone who _doesn't_, because then you don't have to be burdened, and I don't have to hear about it ever again."

If only that could be entirely true. Even without caring, Zoro _did_ feel the burden, a speck of it, and that was enough. Piling the Slytherin's admission on top of the debt Zoro already felt he owed...

"Anyhow... perhaps we should go," Sanji continued. But though he had begun to sound shockingly sober, the alcohol made itself known violently as he began to stand, felt dizzy, and wobbled back down into the chair.

Sighing, Zoro set his hand on Sanji's shoulder in case he attempted to stand again. "Let's wait until you remember how to walk, all right?" He frowned around his next words before speaking them and getting up. "I forgot something on my list, anyway."

"So you're just going to leave me here while you go and get yourself lost?" Sanji asked. He let out a tiny, annoyed sigh and folded his hands over his lap, tilting his head against the back of the rickety, uncomfortable chair. "Fine then. I suppose I'll take a nap."

"Yeah, sleep it off," Zoro muttered, mind already gone searching for ideas. His friends were easy to buy for; he made an effort to think about them, to notice things. With Sanji, he did the opposite. But stepping outside, feeling the rush of cold prickling his skin-that was enough to lead him. Back to Gladrags.

Sanji, meanwhile, turned back to the table after watching Zoro leave. Taking a nap in a place like this was a ridiculous, _terrible_ idea, and there was no way he was actually going to do it. Instead, he fished one of his books out of a bag from Tomes & Scrolls and cracked it open, then proceeded to wile away his time getting lost in ideas of potions he'd someday have the skill to create.

* * *

The sky was even darker when Zoro returned, a new box held under his arm. He came to a stop standing over Sanji, who was still entrenched in his book, and asked, "On a scale of one to falling-down, how drunk are you now?"

Sanji laughed and snapped his book shut, then turned to look up at Zoro. He was rather pink-cheeked, and Sanji ignored the small, unknown part of himself that liked that look on Zoro. Instead, he forced himself to worry about how cold it was going to be outside. "Wobbly, at the most. You were gone a while. Get yourself lost?"

"No." Maybe. For a second. "Shut up," said Zoro as he collected the rest of his gifts and considered handing Sanji's over. He seemed to be in better spirits. But the thought made his throat go all itchy. "Wobbly's good enough, I guess."

"Right," Sanji said, and when he pushed himself up out of the chair this time, he actually made it to his feet. He realized that he must have still been just inebriated enough, because he didn't even feel angry at himself over the next thing out of his mouth. "Need help carrying anything?"

"...Yeah." Before he could change his mind about everything, Zoro passed Sanji the last-minute purchase. "If drinking makes you this agreeable, why didn't we come here first?"

Sanji patted at the box absently, tucking it under his arm and gathering up his own bags before leading the way to the door (though he admittedly went a little more slowly than he usually would). "I don't know. We'll have to remember it for next time."

"Next time," Zoro snorted. "Right."

As they left the pub, he silently debated whether or not to tell Sanji that the self-warming coat inside the box he carried was a gift for him. He decided against it; having the Slytherin walk back to the castle without the added heat would make up for how idiotic Zoro felt about buying him anything at all.

And the way Sanji kept shivering as he led them up the street was kind of amusing, along with how he was trying to go as quickly as he could (which still wasn't that quickly at all).

After a couple minutes, Hogwarts appeared over the snowy hill, a dark black shadow against the navy blue sky with soft, yellow lights dotting its windows. It looked very warm and inviting to Sanji in that moment, even knowing that his own dormitory would be chilly. That was, however, the only drawback to being a Slytherin, really.

Their trek up the path to the castle was as silent as their previous walk down, even without the silencing charm. Zoro felt at war with himself. Disliking Sanji. Pitying him. Relying on him. Avoiding him, pursuing him. Amused, infuriated, befuddled by him. Not his friend. Not at all. And yet he'd bought him a gift, felt _compelled_ to appreciate his help (or attempt to help), to make amends (for _what_, for acting in the same manner they always did?), to try and make his lonely Christmas better. And _why_?

Once they'd reached the inner grounds of Hogwarts, Zoro slowed his steps. "Oi..."

Sanji glanced over at Zoro, and upon realizing that he was now slightly ahead, slowed his own steps to match. "Hm?"

Zoro watched snowflakes fall while he picked out words, hating himself for being so conflicted over his behavior. "I was kind of an ass today, wasn't I?"

Sanji shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed. "You're kind of always an ass though. Don't worry, I'm used to it." It was his roundabout way of saying that he didn't blame Zoro, and that he had been a bit of an ass himself as well.

"I won't apologize, then." Mouth a faint smirk, Zoro looked at him then, relieved somehow. And after a bit more walking, he found it easier to nod toward the box Sanji held, to tell him, "Keep that, by the way."

"What?" Confused, Sanji glanced back down at the box, which he had almost forgotten he was even holding. There was no way Zoro had actually gotten him anything _nice_. "What is it, just an empty, self-exploding box?"

"You want me to ruin the surprise by saying yes?" Zoro's smirk stretched wider as he picked the pace back up. "Don't open 'til Christmas."

For a few steps, Sanji lagged behind as he took the box in hand to shake it next to his ear. It didn't produce a rattling sound, nor the sharp sound of something solid hitting the sides, but there was definitely _something_ in there. "What is it?" he asked curiously, jogging to catch up.

"I don't remember," Zoro evaded, a smidgen of laughter in his voice. Sanji was almost being... _cute_. The mere possibility of such a thing threatened to make his head ache.

"You don't remember? But you just bought it!"

"It's only two days, you can wait." They were nearing the entrance to the castle now, the distance between them soon to be growing as Zoro would head directly for Gryffindor Tower. "Just don't leave it out in the sun for too long. Or was it, don't get it wet? Ah, it probably doesn't matter..."

Sanji quirked his visible eyebrow as he pushed one of the doors open and held it for Zoro. "Huh?" None of what Zoro was saying made any sense, and he wondered if a second wave of drunkenness had suddenly hit, but that didn't make any sense either. "Ah... anyhow," he began, then stopped. How the hell was he supposed to _say_ this? "Whatever it is, thank you. You didn't have to go out of your way for me, and I didn't get you anything, but... it's very kind of you."

Now he felt all self-conscious about making an admission like that, and he pulled the collar of his cloak a little higher around his blushing face. _Merlin_, why couldn't he stop thinking about the ways that Zoro wasn't just some rude idiot? Why did he have to find out that there was _more _to him in the first place?

"It's not a big deal." And if Zoro said it wasn't, told himself repeatedly that it wasn't-it wouldn't be. "Said I'd owe you, didn't I?" The softening of his smirk was an unspoken parting, a bid to Sanji to have a nice holiday, as he turned toward the staircase.

"Still," Sanji said quietly, folding his gloved hands together as Zoro turned away from him. "You didn't have to."

"Ah, I remember now," Zoro threw over his shoulder, pausing on the steps. "Don't feed it after midnight."

"It better not be a pet! I've already got a cat!" Sanji called, voice raised, at Zoro's retreating figure. After a moment, he became aware that he was smiling widely, and even as he made his way down to the dungeons, it didn't once fall from his face.

* * *

The Christmas feast spread out through the Great Hall, seemingly endless despite being contained at a single table. Zoro was sure that even back home, Luffy and Ace could sense what they were missing, and hated it.

He sat with Lola, fellow Gryffindor Beater, and a couple of players from the Hufflepuff team, talking Quidditch over the meal. It felt like the perfect leisurely end to a day that had been blessedly uneventful. Other than opening his gifts from home, the Portgas brothers, Vivi, and Usopp (including socks that would supposedly make his feet turn different colors, depending on his mood), he'd taken advantage of having the dormitory to himself, and had spent hours sleeping or just sprawled lazily on his bed while snow danced outside the windows. It'd been very close to bliss, and he had the deep blue feet to prove it.

Of course, that couldn't last.

The disturbance came in the form of his one-eyed Eagle Owl, who swooped down over the table to land on his shoulder. He recognized one of the letters dropped before him, familiar with Luffy's chicken-scratch writing, but the other... The other was a smaller, red envelope. A Howler.

Sanji watched from his vantage point further down the table, only interested because one of those letters had been sent from himself, just this afternoon.

At first, the Howler was simply a letter expressing slightly flustered gratitude at the gift he'd opened that morning (an attractive navy blue peacoat that, when he put it on, seemed to warm his body immediately; he'd even tried it out by taking a walk on the grounds after breakfast, and it was as if he'd been walking through one of the vineyards back home on a pleasant summer's day, rather than through the snow at Hogwarts), but the longer he looked at what he'd written, the more angry he'd become with himself.

And that, in turn, had manifested as anger with _Zoro_, for causing him to feel so strange in the first place. Needless to say, he had very swiftly enchanted the letter into a Howler, and now he had to cover his mouth to keep from showing his pleased smirk as he watched it begin to steam slightly.

"Ah, hell..." Zoro muttered.

"Better open it soon," Lola advised with her red, missing-toothed grin.

Grimace on his face and strengthening breath taken, Zoro broke the envelope's seal.

Sanji's voice exploded into the Great Hall, startling several students and faculty members. Strangely, he didn't sound _angry_ so much as very loud and annoyed.

"_Oi, bastard..._" the Howler began."_Thanks for the present, it's surprisingly thoughtful of you. Although in all fairness, it wasn't very creative, and I know you only did it because you pitied me. Ah, whatever. The point is that you're nowhere near as apathetic as you like to make people think you are. Actually, you were kind of cute the other day. Like an ugly little puppy dog! When you weren't being an asshole, that is. Er, this is rambling, isn't it? Hm. I had a horrible time on our shitty platonic date. In fact, it was the worst I've ever been on, and I didn't like it at all, and if you ever speak to me again, I'll be forced to hex you to the point of being unrecognizable. Goodbye! Oh, PS - I have something for you, meet me after dinner._"

Sanji watched as the Howler burst into flames, its ashes crumbling to the table in front of Zoro. Now that the adrenaline of sending something so aggressive and rude had worn off, he realized that it hadn't been very aggressive and rude after all. In fact, it was downright _fond_, and now he realized he'd just broadcasted that fact to the entire remaining student body (which, luckily, didn't account for very many people at all). He thunked his head down on the table, feeling absolutely miserable with himself.

But the Howler hadn't been the only thing to combust. Sanji missed the burn of embarrassed anger that spread over Zoro's face and down his neck, his jaw clenched tight. There was chatter and curious laughter going around the room but Zoro barely heard any of it, nor did he hear Lola pressing him for details. It was just the echo in his head, the voice of the infinitely-confusing thorn in his side that he was beginning to see would never be removed.

As much as he wanted to absolutely throttle Sanji, Zoro kept from seeking out the Slytherin at the table, instead going back to his dinner resolutely.

"What was that all about, huh?" Lola was asking, her hopelessly romantic imagination already running wild, no doubt.

"What was _what_ about?" Zoro grumbled, deciding nothing had happened. He was the damn _poster boy_ for apathy. And like _hell_ he was going to meet up with Sanji.

If, once done eating, he was standing outside the doors in the same spot he'd waited for Sanji two days earlier, it was definitely for an entirely different reason. Just... a reason he hadn't exactly come up with yet.

Sanji took his precious time appearing, probably too busy gorging himself on the various sweets now dominating the tables to notice that Zoro had left. But the point was that he eventually _did_, and that Zoro was still there.

He cleared his throat as he approached Zoro, posture radiating embarrassment, and retrieved a bottle of something bright green (with a matching bow around the neck of it) from his bag. "Here," he said, holding it out for Zoro to take. "It's from my home town. Absinthe, since you didn't get to have a drink the other night."

The irritation with which Zoro had been prepared to lash out at Sanji drained out of his tense body and still faintly-reddened face much faster than he would've liked. He was easily swayed by liquor, that was all.

He took it, gave it an appreciative once-over, but he didn't want to be touched by the gesture. Sanji must've felt obligated to give him something, he was sure. "Should I wait until tomorrow's mail drop to thank you?" he asked, not sounding _quite_ as unamused as he wanted to.

Sanji's face flared with heat and redness, and suddenly his legs were moving on their own, carrying him as quickly as possible toward the entrance to the dungeons. "Don't thank me for it, or I'll kick your ass!" he called out over his shoulder, and he even managed to sound as if being thanked was truly the farthest thing from what he wanted.

The smile crept across Zoro's face only after Sanji had disappeared from his sight. His grip on the bottle was firm and fond as he started for his dormitory to dig up a bit of parchment for a letter. He'd be thanking Sanji, all right.


End file.
